New types of ultralight aircraft are being developed for use by inexperienced pilots. Traditionally, a pilot does a preflight check of the aircraft (e.g., checking that the instruments work, a visual inspection of the exterior, etc.) but inexperienced pilots (e.g., without much training) will not know what to look for. To further add to the problem, ultralight aircraft require some checks which are not as important or necessary with heavier aircraft (e.g., where the payload weight is a relatively small fraction of the total weight of the occupied aircraft). New automated self-testing techniques would be desirable because they permit inexperienced pilots to fly an aircraft without having to learn how to perform preflight checks.